Summer Corn Salad with Smoked Ricotta Dressing

1) Put two unhusked ears of corn in the microwave for 6-8 minutes, depending on microwave.
2) Remove the corn from microwave and cut off the bottom part of each ear (about a 1/2 inch or so).
3) Hold the ear at the top of its husk and give it a little shake. The corn should slide out easily.
4) Alternatively, cut about 1 inch off of both ends of the cooked corn and peel off the husk.
5) Add butter and salt, and enjoy!

I had some gorgeous local vegetables, including some bi-color corn in my recent organic box delivery and while buttery, salty corn on the cob is a delight in itself, I decided to use my summer bounty to make a tasty salad.

So, I prepped the corn per the above trick and let it cool. Then I sliced the corn off the cobs into a large bowl. After the cornwent some gorgeous cherry tomatoes, which I cut into quarters, some sliced zucchini, and some minced cilantro. For the dressing, I whisked together some lime juice, olive oil and a bit of smoked ricotta, along with a pinch of chili powder and smoked sea salt.

I tossed the veggies and the dressing and adjusted the seasonings. The salad was absolutely delicious -- like having summer on a plate! It would also be great as a topping on tacos, or in a salad with avocado, grilled chicken/shrimp and greens. So good!

I can't wait to make this again.
This is my favorite time of year to cook/eat! Hooray for August!

Gourmess Archives

My Motto

About Me

I'm a petite but powerful marketing maven who should have gone to culinary school. Or moved to France. When I'm not at my day job in NYC, I spend most of my time in the kitchen coming up with creative cookery ideas. There is usually a mess involved. (Hence the GourMESS title.)

Cookery Experience

For six months in 2010, I taught myself the French Culinary Institute's official textbook, The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine, and prepared (and blogged about) every demonstration in the course.

On Making a Mess of Things

“I would far prefer to have things happen as they naturally do, such as the mousse refusing to leave the mold, the potatoes sticking to the skillet, the apple charlotte slowly collapsing. One of the secrets of cooking is to learn to correct something if you can, and bear with it if you cannot.” ― Julia Child